The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-09-29

sweat beaded his brow. His heart left Its
normal place and began to thump and
flutter horribly In his throat. In mo-
ment more excess Of terror gave him n
frantic power of locomotion, succeeding
upon the first interval of paralysis, and he
burst headlong into the kitchen, startling
Bertha into dropping pan she held and
causing her to eXclaim, as she beheld his
blanched visage:
GOOD land o. mercy, fatherl What is
the natter"
owe seen ghost" he said.
juno went and July came, and with 1t
days more suitry and nights more OPP
pressively favored with the odors from
the bone factories across the river.
The plump and black eyed Bertha, poor
child, would doubtless have liked to par
ticpate in that social life which dis
tributed itself over open thresholds and
upon friendly curbstones these breathless
nights. But no such innocent delights
were comprised in Timothy Pinckneys
system of discipline. He believed himself,
in early hours, as being an economy in
light and six nights out of the seven saw
him already in his room and in his bed
before the last lingering rays of the vernal
twilight had quite faded out of the sky,
expecting, of course, like regularity of
hours from his daughter.
Therefore, returning home on one occa-
sion unusually late-the bells of an Epis-
copal chapel few blocks distant had just
struck Ibis ready wrath was kindled
by seeing feeble ray liltering out from
one of the windows on the ground floor as
he approached his house. 1t disappeared
Immediately again, and Timothy supposed
that was the way with these girls
that Bertha had grown nervous and crept
down and then into the back of the house,
the kitchen, there to wait for his return.
In accordance with this supposition, in
stead of applying his latch key to the
front door he made detour by the side Of
the house and came out by the broken
fence surrounding the yard. There had
been a good many heavy clouds obstruct-
ing the moonlight, so that the night was
rather dark. But at that moment the orb
shone forth with a sudden silvery splendor,
and Timothy distinctly saw some one.
something-dart rapidly across the yard.
Now, Timothy had well nigh forgotten
the occurrence of that other memorable
Hlkub. TUT u lew udlo AbuOukh hd,i
never tolerated an allusion to it from
Bertha, after that one moment IF horror
stricken abandon) he had been haunted
with an abiding terror, which every now
and then sent the cold perspiration run
ming down his back. But that had worn
off, and he had recently only looked back
upon what had happened then as upon q
halluoination which had come Of his over
heated blood and overtaxed nerves, his
general indisposition; promising himself,
grimly, that If ever he wrought himself up
thinking of Beattie and all that dead bust
ness again, buried long ago-well, he
would know I'll
But all this elaborate and defiant
philosophy sank together like heap of
ashes when he saw that shadow cross his
yard. His knees shook and his hands
trembled. He stood sthl, with his AFTER
les pounding wildly and his eyes staring
into the yard, which the moon, now yelled
once more, only illuminated in faint
and ghostly way.
Then he saw ray Of light shine out
from the kitchen window. To make one
dash for that became his only instinct.
To stand there second longer had be-
come unbearable.
He moved and passed through the gap
in the fence. He took few steps. Some
thing moved in front of him.
He wanted to cry out, but his tongue
seemed glued to the roof of his mouth.
Again a sudden burst of moonlight.
And this time no mistake, 10 delusion
possible. -Four steps in front of him,
turning CHASTITY white face upon him,
rooted to the spot, stood Beattie!
Beattie, as he had stolen up to the gap
in the fence that other night, pressed his
face through 1t and gazed at him with his
distended eyes, and vanishedl
A low cry Of horror came from tho
house. The kitchen door had been
opened. Bertha stood upon the thres-
hold. One second she stood, then she
glided forward and past the apparition
and threw herself on her fathers breast.
81 Gather, father Oh, don't look so aw-
fully Say somethingr'
"Sir-Mr. Pinckney," said the appari-
ton, instead, and, for an apparition, it
had wonderfully substantial voice,
though one that trembled and quaked.
az can explain everything if you will let
me-"
eyes, yes; he can explain everything"
Bertha, Historically.
eyes, sir Explain, sirl Explainr'
Numbered Timothy Pinckney, in tremen-
dous tones. "Who are you, sir? Tres
passing In my yard at this time Of nightf"
'Mr. Pinckney, my name is Beattie."
"Beattie2 / see 1t is, sirl Go on"
And-and-and-Mr Pirrkney, IL
Il love Bertha and Bertha loves me-"
"The devil she doesp'
"Look here, young man, If Pm not mis-
taken, / used to know your father"
ooh, father" moaned Miss Bertha
again.
Don't be a foolr' said the old man
sharply to his offspring. Then-"Come
In. both of yoa."
When the trembling culprits stood
under the dim light Of the tallow wick in